As The Hunger Games trickles out of theaters and prepares for a late August DVD release, Catching Fire, the upcoming adaptation of the second book in author Suzanne Collins’ wildly successful Hunger Games trilogy has everybody guessing as to who will land the coveted roles of Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason. Earlier reports made mention of up and coming star Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre), as well as model/(and relatively unknown) actress Zoe Aggeliki, as being approached for the latter role. Entertainment Weekly recently confirmed that Wasikowska has not in fact been approached for the role and would not even be able to accept it, with the star’s representatives citing a full slate for 2012/13. Wasikowska was last seen in Cannes starring in John Hillcoat’s Lawless, where the heavily touted Weinstein Company production was warmly received by critics but failed to make quite as big a splash as anticipated. Aggeliki’s representatives did not comment.Earlier, Entertainment Weekly posted an exclusive citing Jena Malone (Sucker Punch, Saved), fresh off the success of The History Channel’s Hatfields and McCoys which currently stands as the highest rated program on ad-supported basic cable, with each segment raking in over 13 million viewers, as a front-runner under consideration. While reports circled for weeks as to who would direct The Hunger Games: Catching Fire before the studio settled on I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence (no relation to star Jennifer) to replace Gary Ross, readers should take the news with a grain of salt. As someone that read the books however, it is worth noting that while Wasikowska would be an interesting choice for Mason, Malone seems a much safer bet for character and studio alike.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Synopsis

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire picks up shortly after the conclusion of the first film/book, where Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta find themselves the targets of a scandal involving the Capitol. The book follows the winners as they are forced to reenter the area on the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games and face previous past winners from each district. Johanna Mason hails from District 7, winning the Games her year by presenting herself as a non-threatening, weak competitor before revealing “a wicked ability to murder.”

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is slated to be released in 2013 with filming beginning as soon as Lawrence is available from her other franchise, X-Men. Stay tuned for more information on casting and other developments surrounding The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. For those of you unfamiliar with the series (is there anyone still out there? The Hunger Games will be available on DVD Aug. 31.)